Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/449

 PREFACE

385

PREFACE

enumeration was ruthlessly curtailed. Nothing is left of it but a most general allusion; "always and every- where to thank thee". But the mention of the angels which introduces the Sanctus had to remain. This, comparatively detailed, still gives the Roman Preface the character of a prayer chiefly abovit the angels and makes it all seem to lead up to the Sanctus, as the medieval commentators notice (e. g. Durandus, ibid.). The corresponding prayer in Apost. Const. (\TII) contains two references to the angels, one at the begin- ning where they occur as the first creatures (Vm, viii), the other at the end of the commemoration of Old Testament history (originally WTitten in connexion ■with Isaias's place in it) where they introduce the Sanctus (XII, xxvii). It seems probable that at Rome with the omission of the historical allusions these two references were merged into one. The "Et ideo" then would refer to the omitted list of favours in the Old Testament (at present it has no special point). So we should have one more connexion between the Roman Rite and the Apost. Const, (see Mass, Liturgy or).

The other special note of oui Preface is its change- ableness. Here, too, the East is immovable, the West changes with the calendar. The Preface was origi- nally as much part of the variable Proper as the Col- lect. The Leonine book supplies Prefaces all through for the special Masses; it has 267. The Gelasian has 54; the Gregorian has 10 and more than 100 in its appendix. In these varied Prefaces allusions to the feast, the season, and so on, take the place of the old list of Divine favours.

The preface after the ehphonesis of the Secret (Per omnia scBcula sasculorum — here as always merely a warning) begins with a little dialogue of which the versicles or equivalent forms are found at this place in every liturgy. First "Dominus vobiscum" with its answer. The Eastern rites, too, have a blessing at this point. "Sursum corda" is one of the oldest known liturgical formulas (St. Cyprian quotes it and its answer, "DeOrat. Dom.", xxxi, in "P. L.", IV, 539; Apost. Qoust.:'kva Tbv vovv). It is an invita- tion to the people eminently suitable just before the Eucharistic prayer begins. Brightman (infra, .5.56) quotes as its source Lam., iii, 41. Equally old and uni- versal is the people's answer: "Habemus [corda] ad Dominum", a Greek construction: "Exoint" Tp6s rbv Kvpiov, meaning: "we have them [have placed them] before the Lord". Then follows the invitation to give thanks, which very early included the technical idea of "making the Eucharist": "Gratiasagamus Domino Deo nostro". So with verbal variations in all rites. The Jewish form of grace before meals contains the same form: "Let us give thanks to Adonai our God" (in the Mishna, "Berachoth", 6). The people answer with an expression that again must come from the earliest age: "Dignum et iustum est". This, too, is universal (Apost. Const.: ' A£,lov Kal SlKaiov). Its redu-

Clication suggests a Hebrew parallelism. The cele- rant takes up their word and begins the Preface al- ways: "Vere dignum et iustum est" (Apost. Const.: 'Alioi* (!)j dXufiis Kal Skoioj'). The beginning of the Roman Preface is approached among the others most nearly by Alexandria. Our present common Preface represents the simplest type, with no allusions; all the old list of benefits is represented by the words "per Christum Dominum nostrum "only. This is the Pref- ace given in the Canon of the Gelasian book (ed. Wil- son, p. 2.34). Most of the others are formed by an in- tercalation after these words. But there are three types of Preface distinguished by their endings. The first and commone.st introduces the angels thus: "per quern maiestatem tuam laudant angeli"; the second (e. g. for Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Apostles) begins that clause: "et ideo cum angelis"; the third and rarest (now only the Whit-Sunday Pref- ace) has: "Quapropter . . . sed et supernse virtu- tes". The Trinity Preface ("quam laudant angeli") XII.— 25

is a variant of the first form. All end with the word: "dicentes" (which in the first and second form refers to us, in the third form to the angels), and the people (choir) continue the sentence: "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus", etc.

There are many prayers for other occasions (chiefly blessings and consecrations) formed on the model of the Preface, with the "Sursum corda" dialogue, be- ginning "Vere dignum" etc. From their form one would call them Prefaces, though not Eucharistic ones. Such are the ordination prayers, two at the consecra- tion of a church, the blessing of the font, of palms (but this was once a Mass Preface), part of the -praiconium paschale. They are imitations of the Eucharistic Pref- ace, apparently because its solemn form (perhaps its chant) made it seem suitable for other specially solemn occasions too. The Leonine, Gelasian, and Gregorian Sacramentaries have our ordination prayers, but not yet cast into this Preface form. But through the Mid- dle Ages the Preface form was very popular, and a great number of blessings are composed in it. This is only one more case of the common medieval practice of modelling new prayers and sers-ices on others al- ready well-known and popular (compare the hymns written in imitation of older ones, etc.).

II. The Preface in Other Rites. — The name "Pra;fatio" is peculiar to Rome and to Milan, which has borrowed it from Rome. In no other rite is there a special name; it is simply the opening clauses of the Anaphora. In the Syrian-Byzantine-Armenian group, though this part of the Eucharistic prayer is still longer than the Roman Preface and has kept some list of benefits for which we thank God, it is comparatively short. The Byzantine Liturgy of St. Basil has a fairly long form. As usual, there is a much shorter form in that of St. Chrysostom. The Armenian form is the shortest and mentions only the Incarnation. But in the Egyptian group of liturgies the whole Intercession prayer is included in what we should call the Preface, so that this part is very long. This is the most con- spicuous characteristic of the Alexandrine type. The prayer begins in the usual way with a list of favours (creation of the world and of man, the Prophets, Christ). Then abruptly the Intercession begins ("And we pray and entreat thee . . ."); joined to it are the memory of the saints and the diptychs of the dead, and then, equally abruptly, the thanksgiving is resumed and introduces the Sanctus (Brightman, 125- 132). It is clear that this represents a later amalgama- tion; the two quite different praj-ers are joined awk- wardly, so that the scams are still obvious. In all Eastern rites the Preface, or rather what corresponds to it, is said silently after the first dialogue, ending with an ekphonesis to introduce the Sanctus (the Alex- andrine Liturgy has another e^p/ionesis in its Interces- sion). This accounts for its being less important an element of the service than in the West.

TheGallicanRitehadagreat number of Prefaces for feasts and seasons. Even more than in the old Roman Liturgy this prayer was part of the Proper, like the Collects and Lessons. But it was not called a Preface. Its heading in the Galilean books was "Contestatio" or "Immolatio"; the Mozarabic title is "Inlatio". These names really apply to the whole Eucharistic prayer and correspond to our name Canon (Inla- tio — 'Aco^opd). But as later parts had special names ("Vere Sanctus", "Post sanctus", "Post pridie", etc.), these general titles were eventually understood as meaning specially the part before the Sanctus. Now the Mozarabic "Inlatio" may be taken as equiv- alent to the Roman "Pra;fatio". The Ambrosian Rite has adopted the Roman name. Both Mozarabic and Ambrosian Rites keep the Galilean peculiarity of avast number of Prefaces printed each as part of the Proper.

III. Present Use. — The Roman Missal now con- tains eleven Prefaces. Ten are in the Gregorian Sac- ramentary, one (of the Blessed Virgin) was added